When I was 12 years old I started my first company: Reliable Lawncare. I am confident that there will be a whole chapter in my book (someday, right?) on all the experiences and life lessons that I learned during those 7 summers in the Texas heat. It was my first step towards being an entrepreneur and it was a big one.One of my all time favorite clients was Ms. Betty Olson. Betty was the Administrative Assistant at the church where I grew up before she retired and was one of the first clients I ever had. She was also one of the first clients that my Mom let me take on where we had to drive to get there. So each Thursday, I would load up Mom's minivan with my lawn equipment and she would drive me over and drop me off at Betty's house.
When I arrived I always let Betty know that I was there and going to start on her lawn and about how long I thought it would take me. We had a little agreement that once I finished mowing her lawn, she would not only pay me but give me a glass of lemonade. While I made the rounds with my weed whacker and my mower, I would see Betty in the kitchen mixing up a fresh pitcher of lemonade.
Once I finished up with the lawn, Betty would invite me in to sit with her for a little while and enjoy the best glass of lemonade in the world. For years, I would sit with Betty, sip lemonade, and watch her favorite mid-day TV shows together. Even after I got my drivers license and no longer had to wait for Mom to come back and pick me up, I still would sit for a little while and enjoy my refreshing reward.
One week, many years into our routine, Betty asked me to help her make the famed lemonade. It was then that I learned her secret: a whole extra cup of sugar in each pitcher.
Ms. Betty Olson passed on this morning at 4:30am after living a long and full life. I know that I wasn't the only recipient of the special love and care that Betty brought to everything, but I will forever remember those summers.
Thank you Betty for bringing an extra cup of sugar to so many lives.

"Pray He quiet her with His love, and rejoice over her with singing." - Zeph. 3:17